OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (July 27, 2013) — Seven of the 14 champions were crowned Saturday at the 2013 US Youth Soccer National Championships, presented by the National Guard, at the Overland Park Soccer Complex in Overland Park, Kan. This weekend's championship finals were determined after three days of preliminary round play earlier this week.

Eight thousand fans were on hand as Lehigh Valley United 93 (E-PA) claimed the 78th McGuire Cup Under-19 Boys National Championship over Chicago Fire Academy (IL) in front of a live FOX Soccer television audience. Under-15 Boys Santa Barbara SC White (CA-S) became back-to-back National Champions with a 2-1 overtime victory over Dix Hills Elite (E-NY). Pateadores of Cal-South claimed two championships — the Under-13 and Under-14 Boys.

Along with the championship and finalists medals, Golden Ball and Golden Glove awards were presented to the top player and top goalkeeper of the tournament in each age group, as well as the Best 11, presented by the National Guard, as voted on by opposing coaches.

Tomorrow the Under-16 through Under-18 Boys and Under-16 through Under-19 Girls championship matches will take place at the Overland Park Soccer Complex with games scheduled from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m.

A few highlights from Saturday’s matches…

Under-13 Boys

Pateadores LA (CA-S) capped off a dominating week of play with a 3-0 win over FSA FC Navy (CT) in the Under-13 Boys final. Pateadores put the pressure on FSA from the first whistle and broke through in the 7th minute on a goal by Bryan Perez. The California side continued to press FSA with crisp passing from all positions, and it was rewarded with a second goal in the 22nd minute by Alejandro Barrera. Some near-misses by Pateadores kept FSA in reach, but the lead extended to 3-0 when Kyle Holcumb scored his seventh goal of the tournament to cap his squad’s championship victory. Holcumb was the group’s top scorer, while Pateadores finished its impressive run with 23 goals as a team in four games at the National Championships.

Under-14 Boys

Pateadores CM (CA-S) claimed the club’s second title of the night, as it defeated Michigan Wolves 99 (MI), 4-0, in the Under-14 Boys national championship final. Wolves kept Pateadores under check in the first half, as the teams went to halftime in a scoreless tie. That changed shortly after the restart when Christopher Lopez gathered the ball and hit a precise side volley that found the back of the net to put Pateadores up, 1-0. Santiago Galera doubled the lead in the 50th minute to put Pateadores in control. Wolves had a bit of bad luck when it conceded an own goal in the 56th minute, but the Michigan side kept pressing to chip away at the lead. Lopez would score a second goal to secure 4-0 win and the title for Pateadores.

Under-15 Boys

Defending champions Santa Barbara SC White (CA-S) looked to finish off their run at a repeat in a tightly-contested Under-15 Boys final with Dix Hills Elite (E-NY) on Saturday night. Both teams looked to grab the upper hand and get the opening goal as they went back and forth in the opening 20 minutes. Santa Barbara was the squad to jump ahead when Sahid Conteh beat his defender to a teammate’s cross from the left wing and touched it into the goal. That goal held up for much of the game until Dix Hills equalized in the 65th minute. Christopher McAuliffe jumped on a loose ball in the box following a corner kick and put it into the net to tie the game at 1-1. The teams couldn’t be separated in the final 15 minutes of regulation, as the game went to overtime to decide a winner. Late in the second overtime period, Santa Barbara drew a foul in the Dix Hills box to earn a penalty kick. Chairat Puengrod stepped up to the penalty spot and converted the kick, which turned out to be the winner as Santa Barbara secured the 2-1 win and its second consecutive US Youth Soccer National Championship.

Under-19 Boys

The 78th McGuire Cup final featured a pair of talented Under-19 Boys teams in Lehigh Valley United 93 (E-PA) and Chicago Fire Academy (IL). The game got off to a quick start, with each team coming within inches of taking the lead. In the early minutes of the game, LVU had a shot roll across the turf before striking the right post and staying out of the goal. Chicago was just as unlucky, as a strike from outside the box beat a diving Logan Keys, but it too hit the post to keep the game scoreless. LVU managed to take the lead when Shane Campbell made a run to the back post and headed in a cross to put his side up, 1-0. Chicago pressured the Pennsylvania side in search of an equalizer, and the Fire were rewarded when they earned a penalty kick with about 15 minutes remaining in the game. However, the shot went just wide to the left and LVU remained in front. Chicago couldn’t find a tying goal in the final minutes, as LVU held on to win the storied McGuire Cup as Under-19 Boys National Champions.

Under-13 Girls

Legends FC 99 (CA-S) got a 1-0 win over Michigan Hawks (MI) to become the Under-13 Girls National Champions. Elaily Hernandez-Reprez was the player of the match with her 30th minute, game winning strike. Right as the game was about to enter halftime, Legends FC’s Alexandra Jaquez looked up and found Hernandez-Reprez right outside the box. Hernandez-Reprez received the pass and blasted it in to the upper right corner of the net past diving Hawks’ keeper Maciah Lipsey as the large crowd of supporting Legends fans went wild. The Legends defense held on for their third shutout of the week in the second half to deliver the title.

Under-14 Girls

Eastside FC 98 Red (WA) went undefeated in all four games at Overland Park and claimed the Under-14 Girls National Championship. Their efforts earned them the title after defeating YMS Xplosion 98 (PA-E) 2-1 in the final. Golden Ball winner and leading scorer Joanna Harber quickly gave Eastside the lead, scoring just five minutes into the match. In the second half, Ellie Bryant gave Eastside a much needed insurance goal with a 39th minute strike as Julia Lindsey put YMS Xplosion on the board with ten minutes left to play. That was all YMS could do however as the clock ran out and Eastside FC took home the championship.

Under-15 Girls

US Youth Soccer National League representative Eclipse Elite Black 97-98 (IL) defeated Region II champ Ambassadors FC (OH-N) in overtime to earn the Under-15 Girls National Championship. Golden Ball winner and leading scorer Sarah Krause gave Ambassadors the lead in the 15th minute off a cross from Gabrielle Lo Presti on the left flank. With just seven minutes left to play, Eclipse was able to find the equalizer when Zoe Redei scored, taking the match to overtime. The late goal energized Eclipse, and in overtime they got three more goals for a 4-1 victory. Alissa Gorzak scored the game winner for Eclipse five minutes into overtime, and Redei found her second goal after beating an Ambassadors defender to the ball and sliding it under the keeper. Gorzak also got a second goal in the match, finishing the scoring.

2013 US Youth Soccer National Championships
Championship Finals: Day 1

The tournament consists of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls age groups as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the Under-15 through Under-18 Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 88 teams.